Sam Bennett (hurdler)

Sam Bennett
Personal information
Full nameSamuel Morrison Bennett
NationalityBritish
Born (2001-02-02) 2 February 2001
Southend, England
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
Hurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal bests60mH: 7.66 (2025)
110mH: 13.26 (2026)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
European U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Győr110m hurdles
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place2026 Glasgow110m hurdles
Commonwealth Youth Games
Gold medal – first place2017 Nassau110m hurdles

Samuel Morrison Bennett (born 2 February 2001) is a British hurdler. He won the 110 metres hurdles at the 2026 UK Athletics Championships and the silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Bennett was a gold medalist at the 2018 European U18 Championships and 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games. As a senior, he placed second at the 2024 British Athletics Championships, and third at the 2023 and 2025 UK Athletics Championships.[1]

Early and personal life

From Essex, Bennett was educated at Southend High School for Boys.[2][3] He represented England in international competition for the first time in 2016.[4] Bennett trained as a member of Basildon Athletics Club under Steve Surety before spending six years competing in the American collegiate system from 2019, studying for four years at Harvard University before moving to Howard University in 2023 and then Texas Tech University in 2024.[5]

Career

A successful junior racer, Bennett won the gold medal over 100 metres hurdles at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau, Bahamas and won the England Athletics Championships’ under-17 men’s 100m hurdles final.[6] He won the gold medal at the 2018 European Athletics U18 Championships in the 110 metres hurdles, in Győr. Bennett was inducted into the 2019 British Athletics Futures Academy programme.[7]

In July 2023, he placed third at the 2023 British Athletics Championships in Manchester, with a wind assisted 13.46 seconds (+3.2) for the 110 metres hurdles.[8]

Bennett was second to Daniel Goriola in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2024 British Athletics Championships in Manchester, running 13.56 seconds.[9][10]

In 2025, he placed third over 110 metres hurdles at the 2025 UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham, in August 2025, in a time of 13.87 seconds.[11][12] However, a cruciate knee ligament injury at the end of 2025 caused him to miss significant race time.[13]

In June 2026, Bennett ran within 0.01 seconds of his personal best with a win in 13.46 (+1.6) at the Gouden Spike in Leiden.[14] That month, he won his first senior national title, winning the 110 metres hurdles final at the 2026 UK Athletics Championships in a new personal best 13.41 seconds (+0.4).[15] He was selected to represent England at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.[16] Bennett was the fastest qualifier for the final from the 110m hurdles heats, with a slightly wind-assisted run of 13.20 seconds (+2.1) before running a wind-legal new personal best of 13.30 seconds to win the silver medal in the final behind Demario Prince of Jamaica.[17][18] Bennett was a finalist in the 110 m hurdles on 12 August at the 2026 European Athletics Championships, placing seventh overall. In the semi-final he ran a personal best time of 13.26 seconds to move to eighth on the UK all-time list.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Sam Bennett". World Athletics. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Sam Bennett wins Ron Pickering Memorial Fund athlete of the year accolade". Echo-News. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Local athletes star in Essex Schools". Echo-News. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "Southend High for Boys lad secures international gold medal". Echo-News. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Rees, Daniel (8 August 2025). "Basildon athlete Sam Bennett wins bronze at UK Athletics Championships". Echo-News. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Basildon Athletics Club hurdler Sam Bennett delighted with successful season". Echo-News. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "FUTURES IN FOCUS: SAM BENNETT". British Athletics. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "UK Championships". World Athletics. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "UK Championships". World Athletics. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Henderson, Jason (30 June 2024). "High drama for Paris contenders at thrilling Olympic trials". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "UK Championships". World Athletics. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  12. ↑ Henderson, Jason (3 August 2025). "TYPHOON TYRI WINS 400M HURDLES CLASSIC AT UK CHAMPS". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  13. ↑ Muggleton, Warren; Grunill, Paul (30 June 2026). "Games place boosts Bennett after serious injury". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Gouden Spike". World Athletics. 13 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "SUCCESS EDUAN STORMS TO UK 200M TITLE AHEAD OF AMY HUNT". Athletics Weekly. 21 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "On Your Marks: Team England announce athletics squad for Glasgow 2026". England Athletics. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Young and Hahn win England's first athletics golds". BBC Sport. 27 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "ATHLETICS OFF TO A SOLID START AT SCOTSTOUN". Athletics Weekly. 27 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "JASON JOSEPH WINS SPRINT HURDLES GOLD AS BRITAIN'S SAM BENNETT WINDS UP SEVENTH". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
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